The project « Polistes » is a participative project run by amateur entomologists of the Entomo-Antilles forum. It was created after a discussion about the unexplained decrease of a specie of bee belonging to the genus Polistes (Vespidae) : Cf. http://entomo-antilles.pro-forum.fr/t114-guepes. In the past, this bee was common, found inside and around houses, but is now hard to observe. However, members from this forum have observed some colonies in the north and south of Martinique.

In the West Indies, two species can be observed (according to J.M. Carpenter : http://www.ipc.ibaraki.ac.jp/~jkrte/wasp/polistes/Polistes.htm)::Polistes (s.gn Aphalinopterus) dominicus (Vallot) : Dominique, Barbade, Martinique and islands at the south of it, Trinidad, St Kitts and MontserratPolistes (same s.gn) crinitus multicolor (Olivier) : Montserrat, St Kitts and Dominique, Guadeloupe and islands at the north of it.

It appears many questions about Polistes in the West Indies:- Locally, what are the causes of the decrease of these bees? - Places where Polistes can be observed are “refuge zone” or is it places which could help to colonize others area with the creation of new colonies?- Is the decrease of population a consequence of environmental change (climate, landscape management…) or is it a consequence of the relation with other species (parasitism, predation, interspecific competition…)?- What is the situation in the other islands of the West Indies ?

This project is a participative and scientific approach, which need your help (if you are interested by nature, even if you’re not entomologist). Our goal is to find answers described previously. The objectives of the project are to:- Confirm status of Polistes found locally ;- List and make a cartography of area colonized by these bees ;- Evaluate and survey the populations found ;- Try to determine which factors are limited to an extension of the populations ;- Obtain information from other islands.

For this project, every information, pictures, localisation of Polistes observed (protocol and data sheet are available in the “Protocol” section) will be welcomed.

Eddy is the personn in charge of this project, so if you need more information, you can write PM to him.

_________________It seems therefore that a taste for collecting beetles is some indication of future success in life!--Charles Darwin